Kelaik Orang Asli Want High Court To Visit Their Village

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Rajesh Nagarajan (front row, right) and the Orang Asli of Kampung Kelaik outside the Kelantan High Court today.
PETALING JAYA: The Orang Asli of Kampung Kelaik, who sued the Kelantan government and 13 others for allegedly trespassing on their customary land, want the court to visit their village.
Rajesh Nagarajan, who is representing the plaintiffs, said they made the application in the Kota Bharu High Court today.
“We have been instructed by the plaintiffs to lodge a formal application as we have been told that a site visit is absolutely imperative to show the court the squalid living conditions of the Orang Asli,” he said.
Justice Hasbullah Adam said he would make a decision on whether it was necessary to do a site visit after cross-examination of plaintiffs on June 15.
Yesterday, one of the plaintiffs, Anjung Uda, 34, testified in court that he and two others would establish that their occupation of the land had been inherited through generations.
The lawsuit was filed in March 2021 at the Kota Bharu High Court on behalf of the plaintiffs and the residents of Kampung Kelaik, seeking a declaration of their rightful ownership over the disputed ancestral land.
Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal, Rajesh, and Ambbi Balakrishnan represented the Orang Asli.
Bernama reported that the plaintiffs had named the Kelantan government, the department of Orang Asli development, two government agencies and 10 corporate entities as defendants.
The companies include Syarikat Perlombongan Gua Musang Sdn Bhd, Redstar Capital Sdn Bhd, Aqua Orion Sdn Bhd, Damai Corporate Services Sdn Bhd, and Sindiyan Sdn Bhd.
Others named in the suit are Sindiyan Agro Park Sdn Bhd, Ladang Kelantan Sdn Bhd, Ikrar Bumi Sdn Bhd, Ladang Ulu Nenggiri Sdn Bhd, and Iliasco Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd.
The 11th to 13th defendants are the state land and mines office, the state forestry department, and the Kelantan government, who were represented by the Kelantan legal adviser’s office.
The 14th defendant is the department of Orang Asli development, which was represented by the Attorney General’s Chambers. - FMT

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